Dr. Brian Hale's San Antonio Cosmetic Dentistry Blog

It’s natural that you want the best care for your family, and this includes care of their dental health. In choosing a family dentist, you want to be sure your whole family will enjoy their visits to the dentist and be comfortable and well taken care of.

Family Dentistry versus General Dentistry

General dentistry addresses overall oral care and hygiene, but a general dentist does not necessarily make the best family dentist. A family dentist like Dr. Brian Hale ensures a comfortable and caring environment for both children and adults. He also has experience with and knowledge of issues specific to his younger patients. These include proper development of the facial bones and correct alignment of teeth as they transition from baby teeth to permanent teeth.

Making an Educated Decision

As with choosing any doctor, dentist or medical professional, research is key. Ask for referrals from friends or family and look over any literature a dentist provides for new patients. Check the dentist’s website for information about his practice and his specific approach and specialties. Be sure to look for a dentist who specifically stresses family dentistry as part of his practice.

For family dentistry in the San Antonio, Texas area, please contact Brian Hale, DDS for more information on how he can help you and your family maintain the best possible oral health.

Do you avoid the dentist's office at all costs. You may be risking more than you think. The mouth and gums are great determinates of your overall health. If you neglect them, it can lead to other diseases like heart disease, diabetes or even strokes. Sedation dentistry is very important because it allows people that normally would not get treatment because of their fears or anxieties to do so.

If you are one of the many people who do not visit their dentist because of anxieties or fears, you can now take an oral sedative or inhale nitrous oxide and feel completely relaxed during the most basic procedures. The major benefit is being able to take regular care of your teeth and gums. This will greatly reduce the chance of having major issues in the future.

Sedation dentistry also helps people who need a lot of work done at once. Smile makeovers and rebuilding procedures can now be done in just a few visits instead of many. The procedures become much less intrusive and it feels like you are only in the chair for a couple of minutes.

Sedation can also help children and children with special needs like autism or Down syndrome. The dentist's office can be especially daunting for these children and sometimes just keeping still can be hard for them. Of course, Dr. Hale will determine, with the parents, what the best solution would be.

If you live in San Antonio, Texas and you think you may be a candidate for sedation dentistry or you would like to learn more, please contact Dr. Brian Hale today to set up a consultation.

How does the Pure Power Mouthguard™ oral appliance help athletes' performance?

The PPM™ is mouth piece (orthotic device or oral appliance) that you wear to keep your jaw in its optimal position, which is the position it is while at rest. Athletes (professional and amateur) from all over the globe are claiming the PPM™ enhances their strength, flexibility, range of motion, and balance. It enhances these by properly aligning an athlete’s head, neck, and jaw muscles. Optimal jaw alignment allows greater oxygen intake, better vertebral alignment, and increased muscle recruitment throughout the athlete’s body.

I have heard that the PPM™ helps TMD. What is TMD or TMJ?

TMD and TMJ are two acronyms for the very common but very painful Temporomandibular Joint Disorder, which results from a misaligned jaw joint. Millions of Americans suffer from TMD go to their medical doctor for relief from the pain, but in actuality, a neuromuscular dentist such as San Antonio's Dr. Brian Hale has specialized training to detect, diagnose, and treat disorders of the jaw joints. By placing the jaw in its optimal position, people suffering with TMD are given relief from a whole host of symptoms including:

• Painful headaches
• Jaw pain
• Facial pain
• Ringing in the ears
• Bruxism (tooth grinding)
• Clicking, popping noises in the jaw
• Shoulder/neck pain

If you live in San Antonio and would like to learn more about the PPM™ and TMD, please contact San Antonio neuromuscular dentist, Dr. Brian Hale today to schedule a thorough evaluation.

The PPM is an orthotic device that is being used by amateur and professional athletes to improve strength, flexibility, balance, and range of motion by aligning the jaw in its optimal position. A misaligned jaw can result in a chronic, painful condition known as Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD or TMJ). Highly trained neuromuscular dentist, Dr. Brain Hale, in San Antonio is prescribing the PPM to his patients, and they have been experiencing great success with this mouth piece.

Millions of American suffer from TMD; some of the most common symptoms include:

• Jaw pain
• Facial pain
• Jaw tightness
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
• Clicking, popping noises in the jaw area
• Headaches (migraine-like but not actual migraines)
• Numbness and tingling in the fingers
• Shoulder and neck pain

The PPM achieves increased strength, range of motion, and balance by properly aligning an athlete's head, neck, and jaw muscles. Optimal jaw alignment allows greater oxygen intake, better vertebral alignment, and increased muscle recruitment throughout the athlete's body.

If you are a candidate for the PPM, impressions of your upper and lower teeth will be made while the muscles are relaxed and optimal jaw position is determined. A laboratory will custom-design the PPM to your specifications, and then it is delivered to you at your next appointment.

If you are an athlete in San Antonio and would like to learn more about the Pure Power Mouthguard, please contact Texas neuromuscular dentist, Dr. Brian Hale today to schedule a thorough evaluation.

The goal of sedation dentistry is to use anti-anxiety medication, nitrous oxide and other drugs to relieve stress and fear and make visiting the dentist a more relaxing experience. Whether you need sedation for small procedures or large ones, it has greatly helped people who would normally not go to the dentist.

There are many reasons why people avoid the care of their mouth and gums. An estimated 30 percent of the population avoids their dentist because of their fears. Some of the reasons include:

• A traumatic dental experience in the past
• They have some kind of dental anxiety
• Embarrassed about their teeth or need a lot of work done at once
• Difficulty getting numb
• Very complex procedures
• Extremely sensitive teeth or sensitive gag reflex
• They are in denial of their dental problems

There are basically four types of sedation that Dr. Hale might use:

• Oral sedative
• Nitrous oxide (laughing gas)
• IV sedation
• General anesthesia

Oral sedatives and nitrous oxide are the most common, making the patient relaxed and comfortable while the procedure takes place. The effects work quickly and they wear off quickly so the patient can normally get home on their own. IV sedation and general anesthesia are reserved for more complicated issues.

If you live in San Antonio, Texas, and would like to learn more about sedation dentistry, please contact Dr. Brian Hale, a graduate from the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, where he can answer all your questions.

Do you fear or have anxiety when you think of going to the dentist. You are not alone. An estimated 30 percent of the population avoids the dentist because of their dental phobias. If you have been putting off the dentist, then sedation dentistry can get you back on track. The goal of sedation dentistry is for the patient to have an anxiety free visit and take the fear out of visiting the dentist.

Whether you need a lot of work done at once or you would just like routine care, sedation techniques can help you on your path. Oral sedatives and nitrous oxide are the most popular forms of sedation. You will feel a slight sense of euphoria and relaxation, while still being conscious. However, after the procedure you will barely have any memory of it. Many times you can get home on your own, once the sedation wears off.

For more serious dental procedures there is IV sedation and general anesthesia. IV sedation is a lot like oral sedatives but is administered through an IV, giving a quicker more stable effect. Complicated dental procedures sometimes require general anesthesia, in which the patient will "go under" and have no recollection of anything.

Sedation dentistry is giving people with dental phobias the chance to receive normal dental care. This is important because the mouth and gums are indicators of your overall health. If you neglect your mouth, then you might be risking serious problems down the road.

Are you considering sedation dentistry? If you live in San Antonio, Texas please contact Dr. Brian Hale today to schedule a consultation.

When you visit Hale Dental, your oral health is our number one priority. We are devoted to providing you with personalized, gentle care for the whole family.

Family dentistry provides services related to the general maintenance of oral hygiene and tooth health. A family dentist provides oral health care for young children to seniors. Some dentists, however, restrict their practice to a certain age group. Pedodontists, for example, provide oral care to young children.

Family dentists care for a range of patients—from children to older adults. These dentists make sure that:

• Tooth decay is eliminated
• Plaque buildup around the teeth is kept to a minimum
• Cavities are filled
• Gums remain healthy

Although family dentists are often associated with preventative and restorative dentistry, many pursue additional training in order to provide cosmetic dentistry services. These services include things like teeth whitening procedures and porcelain veneers. Dentists who perform cosmetic procedures normally refer to themselves as family and cosmetic dentists.

Family and cosmetic dentists have more training than typical family dentists, though they might refer some patients to other dentists if specialized treatments are required.

These specialists can include:

• Orthodontists—for teeth straightening
• Endodontists—for more complex root canal treatments
• Prosthodontists—for more complex crowns or for dental implants
• Maxillofacial surgeons—for oral surgery

If you are considering cosmetic dentistry in San Antonio or the surrounding area, please call or e-mail us today to schedule your initial consultation with Dr. Brian Hale.